Apparatus for directing weft thread into a groove of a rotary reed of weaving looms

ABSTRACT

A traveling-wave shedding loom havng a plurality of weft inserting means adapted to follow an endless path and each carrying each a pirn with a necessary weft thread length to be inserted into said wave-travelling shed, a plurality of spooling heads designed to follow, within a certain section, the same endless path as said weft inserting means and to pay off said necessary weft thread length to the respective weft inserting means within said certain section of said endless path, said weft inserting means leaving then said respective spooling head and proceeding on its course toward the wave-traveling shed along a straight path, and a rotary reed comprising a plurality of recessed discs disposed face-to-face on a common shaft in such relative angular position that said recesses together form a helical groove to receive the weft threads for conveying it to a beat-up position adjacent the fell of the woven fabric being produced, the axis of said rotary reed being parallel to said straight path of said weft inserting means. The loom includes a weft thread deflecting element disposed between said rotary reed and the path of said spooling heads and adapted to reciprocate between two extreme positions while shunting said weft thread in each of said extreme positions and between them so as to correct an angle of the weft thread entering and already received by said helical groove in said rotary reed to correspond to the lead angle of said groove. The weft thread, in one of said extreme positions of said weft thread deflecting element, is beaten up to the fell of woven fabric by the first or foremost disc of said rotary reed.

[ 1 APPARATUS FOR DIRECTING WEFT THREAD lNTO A GROOVE OF A ROTARY REED OF WEAVING LOOMS [75] Inventors: Josef Holub; Josef Lzicar; Jan

Dubanek; Jaroslav Stech, all of Usti nad Orlici, Czechoslovakia [73] Assignee: Vyzkumny Ustav Bavlnarsky, Usti nad Orliei, Czechoslovakia [22] Filed: June 4, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 366,403

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 12. 1972 Czechoslovakia 4053-72 [521 U.S. Cl. 139/12 [51] lnt. Cl D03d 47/26 [58] Field of Search 139/12, 13, 16,116, 122,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,954,056 9/1960 Whewell 139/126 3,092,150 6/1963 Birmans et al..... 139/122 3,732,896 5/1973 Jekl et al. 139/12 Primary Examiner-Henry S. Jaudon [57] ABSTRACT A traveling-wave shedding loom havng a plurality of [451 Jan.28,1l975 weft inserting means adapted to follow an endless path and each carrying each a pirn with a necessary weft thread length to be inserted into said wave-travelling shed, a plurality of spooling heads designed to follow, within a certain section, the same endless path as said weft inserting means and to pay off said necessary weft thread length to the respective weft inserting means within said certain section of said endless path, said weft inserting means leaving then said respective spooling head and p r oceeding o'n'its course toward the wave-traveling shed along a straight path, and a rotary reed comprising a plurality of recessed discs disposed face-to-face on a common shaft in such relative angular position that said recesses together form a helical groove to receive the weft threads for conveying it to a beat-up position adjacent the fell of the woven fabric being produced, the axis of said rotary reed being parallel to said straight path of said weft inserting means. The loom includes a weft thread deflecting element disposed between said rotary reed and the path of said spooling heads and adapted to reciprocate between two extreme positions while shunting said weft thread in each of said extreme positionsand between them so as to correct an angle of the weft thread entering and already received by said helical groove in said rotary reed to correspond to the lead angle of said groove. The weft thread, in one of said extreme positions of said weft thread deflecting element, is beaten up to the fell of woven fabric by the first or foremost disc of said rotary reed.

4 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Pmmmzm 3,862,647

SHEET 10F 2 FIG.

PATENTEBJANZBIBYS 3882.647

SHEET 2 BF 2 FIG. 2

APPARATUS FOR DIRECTING WEFT THREAD INTO A GROOVE OF A ROTARY REED OF WEAVING LOOMS The present invention relates to an apparatus for directing weft thread into a groove in a rotary reed of weaving looms, particularly the rotary reed of traveling-wave shedding looms.

The rotary reed used, as a rule, in traveling-wave shedding looms comprises a plurality of discs disposed face-to-face on a common shaft extending across the weaving loom, each of the discs being provided with a recess designed to receive the weft thread to be conveyed into a beat-up position adjacent the fabric fell. The discs are supported on said shaft in such angular positions that the particular recesses are periodically staggered relative to one another so as together to form a helical groove extending along the rotary reed and rotating therewith in operation. The rotation of the reed is synchronized with the successive shed changes, the shed along the reed assuming a wavy course so that it successively opens in front of each particular weft inserter after which it closes behind it and then again opens for the next weft inserter, etc.

The weft thread to be inserted into the travelingwave shed is wound off from a pirn supported on each weft inserter, the necessary weft length being paid off from respective spooling heads. Both the weft thread inserters and the spooling heads are movedalong an endless path, at least one portion of the path being common for the two. After a particular weft thread inserter has covered said common path portion, it leaves the respective spooling head and follows a straight path towards the traveling-wave shed, which path is parallel with the longitudinal rotary reed axis. The weft thread tensioned between the weft inserter and an exit brake of the spooling head forms with the straight path of the weft inserter an angle which successively varies as the weft thread inserter and the spooling head leave each other, the inlet angle of the weft thread entering the helical groove in the rotary reed not corresponding to the lead angle of said groove; this condition causes difficulties in the reed threading-in operation. This inlet angle of the weft thread entering the reed groove depends upon the momentary position which the spooling head assumes at the instant the weft thread inserter enters into the traveling-wave shed; this position is a function of the spooling head speed which cannot be optionally selected, since the speed of the movement of the weft thread inserter and the spooling head upon said common path portion thereof has to correspond to the speed of the former when advancing along its straight path towards said traveling-wave shed.

In order to correct an angle of the weft thread entering and already received by the helical groove of the rotary reed so as to assume the value corresponding to the lead angle of said groove, there is provided according to the invention an apparatus comprising a weft thread deflecting element disposed between the rotary reed and the path of the spooling head, and adapted to reciprocate between two extreme positions while shunting in each of said extreme positions and also between them, said weft thread so as to correct said angle of the weft thread entering and already received by said helical groove in said rotary reed to correspond to the lead angle of said groove. The weft thread, in one of said extreme positions of said weft thread deflecting element, is beaten up to the fell of the woven fabric by the first or foremost disc of said rotary reed.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the weft thread deflecting element is supported on an oscillable arm controlled by a cam which rotates at the same speed as the rotary reed. If using a rotary reed in the particular discs of which there are provided more than one recess, the number of revolutions of the cam is product of the number of recesses in the reed and the number of revolutions of the reed or, in other words. one double stroke of the weft thread deflecting element always falls on each particular recess in the rotary reed discs.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings which are not intended to limit its scope in any way. In the drawings:

FIG. 1. is a fragmentary detail plan view of a traveling-wave shedding loom showing the apparatus accord ing to the invention; and

FIG. 2. is an elevational view of the apparatus on an enlarged scale.

The particular parts of the traveling-wave shedding loom referred to in the specification, except for the actual claimed apparatus, are not described or shown in detail, since they form the subject matter of US. Pat. No. 3,724,508.

Discussing now the drawing in detail, and particularly FIG. 1. thereof, it can be seen that a rotary reed I comprises a plurality of discs 2 disposed face-to-face on a common shaft 3 extending across the weaving machine, each of the discs 2 being provided with a recess 4 designed to receive a weft thread 5. FIG. 2. illustrates the disc 2 in the initial position in which the weft thread 5 begins to be inserted into the recess 4 thereof, while the dash-line contours indicate the position the recess 4 will assume after a partial disc rotation at the instant of beating up the weft thread 5 on the fell of a fabric 6.

The discs 2 are supported by said shaft 3 in such angular positions that the particular recesses 4 are periodically staggered relative to one another so as together to form a helical groove 7 extending axially along the rotary reed I, as it is apparent from FIG. 1.

Inserters 8 designed to insert the weft thread into a traveling-wave shed of warp 9 each carries a pirn l0 rotatably arranged thereon and containing a length of the weft thread 5 sufficient for a single pick. The weft inserters 8 are adapted in the weaving machine to move along an endless path 11, a section thereof which is common with a path of spooling heads 12, being designed as a region where the desired weft lengths are spooled on to said pirns 10.

The actual device for directing the weft thread 5 into the helical groove 7 in the reed 1 comprises a weft thread deviating element 13 supported for reciprocation in bearings 14 between the rotary reed 1 and the path of the spooling heads 12, and serving for shunting the weft thread 5 out of its straight path. Within the path of the operative part of said deviating element 13 the weft thread 5 is tensioned between the weft inserter 8 and an exit brake 16 of the spooling head 12.

The weft thread deviating element 13 is supported by an arm I7 (FIG. 2) journalled at 18 to oscillate and provided with a roll 19 which is forced by a spring 20 against a single lobe cam 21. The drive of the cam 21 is derived from said shaft 3 of the rotary reed 1 via a transmission gear 22 in a ratio of one to one, so that a single revolution of said cam 21 corresponds to a single revolution of the reed 1, of which the respective discs 2 are provided with the single recess; if a rotary reed of which the discs are provided with more than one recesses is used, the number of cam revolutions is the product of the number of recesses and the number of reed revolutions.

After the necessary length of weft thread 5 has been wound on the pirn 10, the weft inserter 8 leaves the spooling head 12 and follows a straight path parallel with the longitudinal reed axis and running towards the traveling-wave shed in the direction of arrow 23 while the spooling head 12 proceeds in its arcuate course in the direction of arrow 24. The weft thread 5 tensioned between the weft inserter 8 and the spooling head 12 at this instant forms with said path 11, i.e. with the longitudinal reed axis in the plan view of FIG. 1, an angle which successively varies.

Before the weft inserter 8 has entered the travelingwave shed, the tensioned weft thread 5 bears against the operative portion of the weft thread deviating elemnt 13 in its extreme position indicated in FIG. 1 by dash-lines. In this extreme position of the weft thread deviating element 13 the arm 17 is forced against the cam 21 on its minimum radius. in this way the section of the weft thread 5 between the weft inserter 8 and the spooling head 12 is divided into two sections which form with each other an angle other than 180.

In the position of the weft inserter 8 and that of the spooling head 12 indicated in dash-lines, i.e. in the position in which the weft thread 5 enters the recess 4 of the first or external disc 2. of the rotary reed l, the angle B formed by the path 11 of the weft inserter 8 or the longitudinal reed axis and the weftthread 5 in the section between the deviating element 13 and the reed 1 becomes identical with the lead angle of the helical groove 7 in the reed, as is apparent in FIG. 1.

The shape of the cam 21 is selected so that in any of the positions of the deviating element 13 successively assumed during its reciprocation the angle B remains constant. Thus the angle B remains constant up to the second extreme position of the deviating element 13 indicated in FIG. 1 in full lines, in which position the weft thread has just been beaten up by the first or foremost disc 2 on to the fell of the fabric 6.

Due to the aforedescribed correction of the angle [3 assumed by the weft thread 5 entering the helical groove 7, the deviating element 13 enables the rotary reed l to be threaded-in with the weft thread 5 in the optimum manner from the technological viewpoint.

Although the invention is illustrated and described with reference to a plurality of preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be expressly understood that it is in no way limited to the disclosure of such a plurality of preferred embodiments, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a traveling-wave shedding loom having wavetraveling shed forming means, a plurality of weft inserting means adapted to follow an endless path and each carrying a pirn with a necessary weft thread length to be inserted into said wave-traveling shed, a plurality of spooling heads designed to follow, within a certain section, the same endless path as said weft inserting means and to pay off said necessary weft thread length to the respective weft inserting means within said certain section of said endless path, said weft inserting means then leaving said respective spooling head and proceeding in its course toward the wave-traveling shed along a straight path and a rotary reed comprising a plurality of recessed discs disposed face-to-face on a common shaft in such a relative angular position that said recesses together form a helican groove to receive the weft thread for conveying it to a beat-up position adjacent the fell of the woven fabric being produced while said weft thread in the region between said weft inserting means and said spooling head is being simultaneously tensioned, the axis of said rotary reed extends parallel to said straight path of said weft inserting means, the improvement which comprises a weft thread deflecting element disposed between said rotary reed and the path of said spooling head and means to reciprocate said weft thread deflecting element between two extreme positions while shunting said weft thread in each of said extreme positions and between them so as to maintain an angle of the weft thread entering and already received by said helical groove in said rotary reed to correspond to the lead angle of said groove, the weft thread, in one of said extreme positions of said weft thread deflecting element being beaten up to the fell of woven fabric by the foremost disc of said rotary reed.

2. A traveling-wave shedding loom as defined in 1 claim 1, wherein the means reciprocating said weft thread deflecting element comprises an arm supporting the deflecting element, and a cam control means for oscillating said arm.

3. A traveling-wave shedding loom as defined in claim 2, wherein the means reciprocating said weft thread deflecting element includes means correlating the reciprocation of said element and the rotation of the rotary reed so that one double-stroke of the weft thread deflecting element always falls on each particular recess in the disc of said rotary reed.

4. A traveling-wave shedding loom as defined in claim 1, wherein the means to reciprocate the weft thread deflecting element comprises a cam driven in synchronism with the reed, and the number of cam revolutions is the product of the number of recesses in each particular disc of the reed and the number of revolutions of said rotary reed. 

1. In a traveling-wave shedding loom having wave-traveling shed forming means, a plurality of weft inserting means adapted to follow an endless path and each carrying a pirn with a necessary weft thread length to be inserted into said wave-traveling shed, a plurality of spooling heads designed to follow, within a certain section, the same endless path as said weft inserting means and to pay off said necessary weft thread length to the respective weft inserting means within said certain section of said endless path, said weft inserting means then leaving said respective spooling head and proceeding in its course toward the wave-traveling shed along a straight path and a rotary reed comprising a plurality of recessed discs disposed face-to-face on a common shaft in such a relative angular position that said recesses together form a helican groove to receive the weft thread for conveying it to a beat-up position adjacent the fell of the woven fabric being produced while said weft thread in the region between said weft inserting means and said spooling head is being simultaneously tensioned, the axis of said rotary reed extends parallel to said straight path of said weft inserting means, the improvement which comprises a weft thread deflecting element disposed between said rotary reed and the path of said spooling head and means to reciprocate said weft thread deflecting element between two extreme positions while shunting said weft thread in each of said extreme positions and between them so as to maintain an angle of the weft thread entering and already received by said helical groove in said rotary reed to correspond to the lead angle of said groove, the weft thread, in one of said extreme positions of said weft thread deflecting element being beaten up to the fell of woven fabric by the foremost disc of said rotary reed.
 2. A traveling-wave shedding loom as defined in claim 1, wherein the means reciprocating said weft thread deflecting element comprises an arm supporting the deflecting element, and a cam control means for oscillating said arm.
 3. A traveling-wave shedding loom as defined in claim 2, wherein the means reciprocating said weft thread deflecting element includes means correlating the reciprocation of said element and the rotation of the rotary reed so that one double-stroke of the weft thread deflecting element always falls on each particular recess in the disc of said rotary reed.
 4. A traveling-wave shedding loom as defined in claim 1, wherein the means to reciprocate the weft thread deflecting element comprises a cam driven in synchronism with the reed, and the number of cam revolutions is the product of the number of recesses in each particular disc of the reed and the number of revolutions of said rotary reed. 